September 9
by WhiteAngel128
Summary: Every year, Gokudera sees September 9 as the death anniversary of his mother and nothing else. Will it remain this way forever, or can a certain Vongola boss change that for the better? Birthday fic, 5927.


**Ciaossu! Hey there, you might have seen me around as a beta reader for a while, but this is my first try at writing a KHR fic. I really wanted to write something for Gokudera's birthday, so here it is. Although it's a little late, oh well, better late than never. ^^ Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I will never own the awesomeness that is Katekyo Hitman Reborn. **

_Italics_** = thoughts, sometime emphasis**

_**Bold Italics **_**= flashback**

**September 9**

It was a normal uneventful Friday at Namimori Middle, as normal as Namimori could be anyway, for a certain student by the name of Sawada Tsunayoshi. From his seat, Tsuna was staring out the open window and day-dreaming while tuning out the maths teacher's explanation on probability and tree diagrams, whatever those were. The brunet sighed contently, enjoying the cool air that a clear day in September brought, he could already feel his eyelids drooping down in response and rested his head on his arms on the desk…Wait, _September?! _Tsuna jolted back up into sitting position and turned to look at the back of the class where Gokudera was. Said silveret was preoccupied with writing something, probably in G-letters, completely ignoring the teacher as well.

_September, it's the 7__th__already, Gokudera-kun's birthday is in 2 days! I totally forgot about it!_ During his staring, Gokudera happened to look up and notice Tsuna looking his way. In response, the silveret smiled widely at his boss. Gokudera was in his reading-mode, meaning his hair was tied back in a low ponytail with a pair of glasses in front of his eyes. Tsuna felt his face heating up at the sight, he made a mental note that the other looked really nice whenever he did that, not that the usual Gokudera wasn't good-looking.

The brunet gave his storm guardian a small smile before quickly turning back to the window, hiding his reddening face. _What is wrong with me?! Why am I blushing and having thoughts like that about Gokudera-kun?! He's my friend, and we're both guys! Plus, I like Kyoko-chan! _Tsuna mentally screamed and ran a hand through his gravity-defying hair in frustration. _Do you? _Another part of his mind retorted back to the last question in a voice that sounded exactly like Reborn's high-pitched, squeaky, childish one. Tsuna had to admit, he wasn't so sure of his feelings for Kyoko anymore. Seeing her just didn't bring forth all the blushing, heart racing and other stuff like before. She just seemed like a good friend that he wanted to protect, just like everyone else. But Gokudera, on the other hand...

Before he could get any further into the issue, the maths teacher suddenly called Tsuna's name – successfully scared the living day lights out of the teen and getting a loud 'hiiieee!' in return. "Sawada-kun, please come up here and solve this problem." The old man said and pointed to a weird-looking diagram labelled 'tree diagram' with diagonal lines, letters and fractions. The brunet let out a weak groan, then reluctantly got out of his seat and walked towards the board. On his way, he could hear snickers from his other classmates – which was quickly silenced by Gokudera's threats – and Yamamoto cheering for him along with said silveret.

Once he got to the front of the classroom, Tsuna read the question presented, and then back to the diagram, not finding a single connection between the two. _Find the probability of obtaining two heads, what does that got to do with all these letters and numbers? How do you even calculate probabilities?! _In times like this, he really wished his hyper intuition also helped with maths. Tsuna turned around a bit to look behind him, seeing all his classmates waiting for his answer and noticing Gokudera mouthing the answer. But it was useless, he didn't have a clue what the bomber was saying. _Might as well get this over with. _Deciding on the first number that came to mind, Tsuna wrote '8' for the answer.

Immediately, the majority of the class started laughing and the teacher sighed exasperatedly. "Sawada-kun, please start paying attention in class." After saying that, the man started going on about what his mistakes were and explaining the entire thing, twice. Tsuna groaned once again, this was going to be one _long _period. Why must maths, of all subjects, be the last for the day?! It wasn't helping that he really needed to talk to Gokudera soon.

*~5927~*~5927~*

After what seemed like forever, the bell finally rang and class was over. Tsuna quickly packed up his things, swung the bag over his shoulder and headed into the corridor where Gokudera was waiting. Today, it would only be them walking home together since Yamamoto had baseball practice – much to a certain bomber's delight.

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna called out once they were outside of the school.

"Yes, Juudaime?" Came the reply and Gokudera gave his boss his full attention.

"Do you have anything already planned for this Sunday?"

"No, not at all. Is there something special on Sunday?"

Tsuna paused on his track and gaped at the other. "You don't remember?! It's your birthday, September 9!"

Gokudera blinked, not expecting the answer at all. His birthday was coming up? Almost instantly, he was reminded of why the event had completely slipped from his mind. For years, September 9 had been seen as his mother's death anniversary, not his birthday. Usually the day would be spent with him visiting her grave and then moping around the house or wandering aimlessly on the streets picking fights. But this year, he couldn't just fly back to Italy and leave the tenth alone. A pang of sadness shot through him, but Gokudera shook it off and focused back on Tsuna. He feigned a small smile and tried to sound like normal. "Oh, I've actually forgotten all about that. I've never paid much attention to it in the first place."

"Eh? Why?"

"It' nothing, don't worry about it, Juudaime."

Tsuna's hyper intuition told him that Gokudera was hiding something, but clearly because he was uncomfortable with the subject. Though he wanted to know, Tsuna decided to not pry into the matter and pretended not to notice. "Well anyway, if you have nothing planned, you wouldn't mind doing something else for a change for the day then? Like, maybe just going out around Namimori shopping district?"

He considered the offer, if the tenth had gone out of his ways to invite him, who was he to refuse? "A-a day out with Juudaime? Of course, I would love to!" Gokudera grinned widely, his green eyes sparkled with excitement. And Tsuna could've sworn he saw puppy ears and a tail.

Tsuna couldn't help but smile in return, glad that the other seemed happy about the arrangement. _Gokudera-kun's cute when he's like this. _Tsuna mentally face-palmed, he did _not _just think Gokudera was cute! The young boss chose to continue his conversation with his friend before any more weird thoughts came to mind. "Great! Then I better let everyone know when I get home."

Gokudera's smile faltered a bit. "E-everyone?"

"Of course, it wouldn't be right to celebrate your birthday without them, right?"

"Oh, right," the storm guardian silently cursed himself for not seeing that coming, of course Tsuna would want to include his Famiglia – he was the sky after all. But, Gokudera really thought he would be able to spend an entire day with his beloved boss. "If that's what Juudaime wants." He muttered under his breath and Tsuna was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice.

The two walked in silent for a few minutes more before arriving at the Sawada household. "Well, we're here. Gokudera-kun, are you coming in?" Tsuna asked as they stood in front of the door.

"No, I think it's best for me to go home for the day," the self-proclaimed right-hand man answered, already hearing Bianchi's voice from the inside.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you on Sunday then. How about we meet up in front of Nami Middle at about, let's say, 10?"

Gokudera nodded and saluted. "That's fine, I'll be there without fail, Juudaime!"

"O-okay, I'll see you later, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna chuckled awkwardly, giving the other one last smile before entering the house and closing the door behind him.

After his boss had disappeared from sight, Gokudera sighed and turned to head home. Now that he knew Sunday would involve the entire gang, some of the excitement had died down. But on the bright side, at least Gokudera knew the tenth cared enough about him to organize something for his birthday and will be there.

*~5927~*~5927~*

After parting with Gokudera, Tsuna hastily took off his shoes and ran upstairs while calling out to let his mom know he was home. Even though he'd already invited Gokudera, the teen still had no idea what to do on the day, Hell, he didn't even have a clue what present to give! Therefore, he really needed to talk with Reborn, and maybe Bianchi as well, the two should be able to help.

"Reborn, I need to talk to you about Gokudera-kun's birthday!" Tsuna said as he pushed open the door to his room...only to see said Arcobaleno being trapped in one of Bianchi's bear hugs while she sobbed. "B-Bianchi? Is something wrong?"

"Reborn, I know it's going to be only two days, but I'll miss you!" the older female cried and tightened her hold on the baby.

Hearing that, Tsuna sweat-dropped and finally noticed the suitcase that lied nearby. "Eh? Are you going somewhere, Bianchi?"

"Oh, Tsuna, you're back," Bianchi said, realizing that he was even in the room. "Yes, I'm heading back to Italy for two days."

"Two days? Won't you miss Gokudera-kun's birthday then?"

"Actually, I'm surprised he isn't coming with me."

"Why? Is there something important that you two need to do?"

"Hayato hasn't told you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Never mind then, Hayato will tell you himself. Anyway, I'm guessing you're planning to do something for him?"

"Umm, yeah...sort of. He'd already agreed on a day out with me and everyone else – that reminds me, I need to call them soon. But I think we should do something after that as well, any suggestions?"

"How about a party at night?" Reborn spoke up for the first time. "We can keep it a secret from Gokudera."

"That's a great idea, Reborn!" Bianchi exclaimed, giving the baby another squeeze.

Tsuna had to agree with her, a party did sound good. "Okay, so that's sorted and I'll leave the activities for the day for Gokudera-kun to decide. There's another thing, I need help on presents."

"Reborn should be more than enough to help you with that later, go call your friends about Sunday first. I have to go now. And I should be able to make it back in time, it wouldn't be right for me to miss Hayato's party."

"Really? Doesn't it take long to fly between Italy and here?"

"Bianchi's using one of Vongola's private jets, they're obviously much faster than normal ones." Reborn answered.

_Mafia power! _"O-oh, have a safe trip then, Bianchi. I'll go make the calls now." Tsuna said and waved goodbye before making his way downstairs to where the phone was.

"That boy, as clueless as always. Only someone like him would not be able to see that Hayato's head-over-heels for him and would rather spend the day with just them two," Bianchi sighed and smiled softly. "At least Hayato wouldn't be alone this time and might even have good memories about the day for once."

"Don't worry, Bianchi. I'll take care of it," Reborn replied, a smirk forming on his face. "Some matchmaking is way overdue around here."

"Thank you, I knew I can trust you," Bianchi gave the baby one final hug before standing up and grabbing her suitcase. "I'll be going now, take care, Reborn." With that, she exited the room and Tsuna returned soon after.

"That was quick, how did you go?" the hitman asked.

"Yamamoto, Kyoko-chan, Onii-san, Haru and the kids are all fine with it, though I still have no idea about Chrome and Hibari-san," Tsuna shuddered a bit at the last name, chances of getting the skylark to come was very close to zero. "Also, Mom said she'll prepare the food for the party and Yamamoto will probably bring some sushi over."

"Leave Chrome and Hibari to me, I'll handle it." Reborn volunteered, much to Tsuna's surprise.

"Really? You're unexpectedly nice today."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Leon transformed into a gun and was pointed at Tsuna.

"Hiiieee! Nothing, I said nothing!"

"Hmph, I'm always nice."

_Yeah, right! _"So anyway, you still haven't helped me with what to give Gokudera-kun."

"Isn't all of this enough already?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's the thought that counts, you're already holding the party and everything."

"B-but, everyone else is helping out with that, it's not just me."

"Besides, it's Gokudera we're talking about. You can give him his own dynamites and he'll still be happy."

Tsuna blushed, that did sound like Gokudera. "T-that's true...wait the minute, Reborn! That wasn't a nice thing to say!"

"Trust me on this, everything will turn out fine. Plus, Gokudera would probably feel uncomfortable knowing you spent a lot of money on him."

Yet, another good point. "But still, it just doesn't feel right to not give anything."

"Dame-Tsuna, valuable gifts don't always have to be physical ones."

"Huh?"

"You'll understand soon. Now, since you'll busy for the entire Sunday, you better get started on your homework," Reborn stood up and walked towards the door. "I have some business to take care of, when I get back, those maths exercises better be done. Or else..." The hitman's dark eyes showed a glint that promised consequences and the green gun reappeared.

"Hiiieee!" Tsuna shrieked and rushed to his schoolbag. _How did he even know I have homework?!_

"I'm Reborn, I know everything." The Arcobaleno answered smugly before exiting. _Now, time to get to work._

*~5927~*~5927~*

**Two days later, September 9**

"Dame-Tsuna, wake up!"

Honey-brown eyes shot open and Tsuna - who had been sleeping peacefully underneath the blanket - immediately rolled to the side while letting out the familiar shriek, successfully avoiding the ten-tonnes-hammer by a fraction of a second. "Reborn, it's Sunday! Can't you let me sleep a little longer?!"

"Have you forgotten what today is?"

Finally fully awake, memories came back to him and the brunet remembered. "Oh yeah, I'm supposed to meet up with everyone at 10," the small clock on his desk showed that it was 5 minutes to eight, plenty of time to prepare. "Still, at least wake me up like a normal person!"

"What's the fun in that?"

"I could've died!"

"But you didn't, so stop whining and get up."

Tsuna did as told and walked to his closet to take out the clothes for the day while still mumbling about unreasonable Spartan babies before going downstairs to the bathroom. After completing the morning routine, which included trying to tame the gravity-defying hair, the teen headed for the kitchen that was very lively as usual.

"'Morning, Mom." Tsuna greeted and sat down at the dining table.

"Good morning, Tsu-kun. You're up early today." Nana answered with a smile and placed plates of breakfast in front of her son.

_Yes, and almost died in the process, thanks to a certain someone._ The brunet sent a look to the fedora-wearing baby opposite, who pretended not to notice. "Yeah, it wouldn't be good if I came late and kept everyone waiting."

"Ah, that's right, you guys are going out before coming back here for the party. After this, I'll go grocery shopping, tonight there'll be everyone's favorite foods," Nana hummed happily while beating some eggs for more omelettes. "And Tsu-kun, Reborn-kun, Lambo-kun and I-pin-chan said they want to go with me instead."

"What? Why did you guys change your minds?"

"Gyahahaha, Lambo-san wants to go with Mama, not Stupidera!"

"I need to buy more coffee beans. And I have things to do later so I wouldn't be able to stay with you anyway." Reborn replied and took one of Tsuna's octopus sausages.

"Hey, that's mine!" before he could do anything, the Arcobaleno had already eaten the food. "I guess it can't be helped. Geez, you guys could've told me earlier." In his mind, Tsuna noted that Lambo not being there wasn't that bad either, it meant less embarrassing moments of pulling him away from sweet shops, breaking off fights between the child and Gokudera, etc. And no Reborn meant no one to beat him up or threaten him with guns. _Huh, that actually sounds good. _Agreeing with the conclusion, Tsuna smiled and resumed eating his breakfast.

When he'd finished with the food, Tsuna noticed that it was 9:10 and went back up to his room with Reborn following behind. He looked around to see if there was anything he needed to bring and decided on just his phone and wallet.

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna, give this to Gokudera later for me." Reborn said and handed the other a small sealed envelope. "Remember, it's rude to read others' mails so don't open it."

"I wasn't planning to!" The young boss retorted in defence and pocketed the envelope.

"Good, by the way, are you really planning on wearing those for the day?"

"Huh?" Tsuna turned around to face the hitman, then looked down at his clothes. He chose the usual combination, a simple brown hoodie zipped up with a plain white T-shirt underneath and jeans. "What's wrong with these?"

Reborn did not answer, just shrugged instead and exited with amusement shining in his dark eyes. "Hey! Don't just leave like that! Reborn, come back here!" Tsuna called, but his tutor decided to ignore him yet again. _That Reborn, he's just messing with my head!...But, what if he has a point? Is rude to dress so casually? It is a birthday after all. _The brunet looked over his attire again. _On the other hand, we're just going around town, it's weird to overdress...right? _ "Argh! Damn that baby, he _is _messing with my head!" Tsuna yelled aloud and ran fingers through his hair in frustration. _I feel like a girl on her first date! _Wait, let's not go there. With a huff, he decided to not waste more time on Reborn's question and left the room. Since there was nothing left to do, might as well go early.

*~5927~*~5927~*

From his spot against the wall of Namimori Middle, Gokudera's emerald eyes scanned his surroundings again without much interest and out of pure boredom. There was still twenty minutes left until the appointed time and he'd been standing around for at least a good 30 minutes – God forbid he ever kept the tenth waiting without a good enough reason. The storm guardian sighed, there was barely any enthusiasm left in him about the day, knowing that it'll be filled with arguments with the annoying baseball freak, turf top, stupid cow, etc. And he was definitely not in the mood for any of that. Gokudera was starting to regret accepting Tsuna's invitation. Immediately after thinking that, he felt mortified and wanted to run to said brunet to apologise right away. The tenth was doing this for _his _sake, the very least he could do was show up. Besides, Bianchi said she would take care of the...other matter. A sort of warmth enveloped his body as Gokudera remembered meeting his sister two days ago.

_**Not long after he'd gotten home from school and parting with Tsuna, Gokudera's peace was interrupted by someone knocking loudly on his door. Muttering some curses, the Italian got up from his seat on the couch and yanked the door open. He blinked in surprise when he was met with his half-sister – whose eyes were thankfully covered by goggles. "What do you want?"**_

"_**Good afternoon to you, too, Hayato," Bianchi replied, unfazed by her sibling's rudeness. "I heard from Tsuna about what you guys are doing on Sunday."**_

"_**And?"**_

"_**I'm glad you're going. It's about time you let go, your mother would've wanted that." **_

_**Gokudera didn't say anything in return, just waiting for her to continue.**_

"_**I'm going back to Italy in your stead. Don't worry, she'll understand. Just do us all a favor and enjoy yourself, okay?"**_

_**The storm guardian was still silent, unsure of how to answer, but eventually nodded. Bianchi smiled. "Great, I'll let you know when I get back. I have to go now, see you soon."**_

"_**Aneki," Gokudera called as the female was walking away, causing her to pause and look back. "T-thanks."**_

_**Bianchi's smile from earlier widened. "You're welcome, Hayato. Oh, and...Isn't it about time you let him know how you feel?" **_

Gokudera blushed as he was reminded of his half sister's last words. Was he really that obvious?! If so, then did anyone else know?! Another sigh escaped his lips, it wasn't like he didn't want to tell the tenth his feelings, it was just he couldn't. No matter what, he would never be able to be more than his right-hand man and a best friend. Why? Well, for starters, the other was in love with Sasagawa Kyoko. Jealousy flared up and Gokudera gritted his teeth, what did the tenth even see in that airhead of a woman?! Anyway, he was also afraid of Tsuna's rejection and the worst that could happen is the end of their friendship. The list went on.

Snapping away from his thoughts, Gokudera spotted the unmistakable head of soft brown hair just turning at the corner and walking towards him. The bomber put on his usual grin and waved rapidly at his boss. On the side, he noted that the petite brunet looked very cute in what he was wearing – the color brown suited him. But of course, Tsuna would look good in anything.

"Juudaime, good morning!" Gokudera greeted once the latter was in hearing distance.

"Good morning, Gokudera-kun. Wow, you're even earlier than me." Tsuna replied, exhaling softly in relief when he saw the silveret also in casual red simple long-sleeve T-shirt, black denim jeans and a whole lot of accessories.

"Ah, yes, I didn't have much to do so I just left the house early." It wasn't a lie, he really didn't have anything else to do.

"Haha, that's exactly like me. And happy birthday, Gokudera-kun! I should've said that first." Tsuna laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"It's fine, thank you, Juudaime!" the Italian bowed to a ninety-degree angle.

"Don't be so formal, please stand up, Gokudera-kun! A-anyway, I guess now we have to wait for the others to come," a few seconds after he'd said that, Tsuna's mobile phone rang and he had a new message. "It's from Yamamoto, he said he can't come since the shop suddenly got very busy." Yamamoto also mentioned he would still be able to come to the party, but obviously the brunet had to leave that part out.

Hearing that, Gokudera almost punched his fist in the air and cheered, but Tsuna would probably scold him for it. _Yes, the baseball idiot won't be here! That's one less annoyance! _The phone rang twice more.

_It's from Kyoko-chan and..._Hibari-san_?! How does he even know my number?! _"K-Kyoko-chan said Onii-san has to substitute someone in a match today and she had something to do with Haru and Chrome. Hibari-san just changed his mind and doesn't feel like coming anymore. First Lambo, I-pin and Reborn, now this. That means everybody cancelled. W-what is this?!" Strangely enough, they all would still be at the party. Yes, that included even Hibari. The teen had to reread the last part of the skylark's message to make sure he got it right: "Herbivore, for coming to this ridiculous crowding, you owe me a fight". _Reborn, so _that's _how you convinced Hibari-san?! _

"Juudaime, did you say the others all can't make it?" Gokudera asked, desperately trying to keep the excitement from his voice.

"Err, yeah, I guess you're stuck with only me, Gokudera-kun. Sorry..."

Sorry? He couldn't be happier! Somehow nobody was coming and he had an entire day alone with Tsuna! Gokudera might have been a genius, but even he couldn't work out the chances of this happening. Today must be his lucky day! "It's okay, Juudaime, I'm more than happy that you're here."

Tsuna blushed lightly as the other grinned from ear-to-ear. _Oh well, as long as Gokudera-kun's happy. _"I-I see, we can still go on with the plan then," while putting his phone back into the pocket, Tsuna's fingers came in contact with the envelope. "Ah that's right, Reborn wanted me to give this to you."

Taking the paper he was given, Gokudera broke the seal and opened the folded sheet. On the page were just a few words written neatly by Reborn: "Think of this as my present. Good luck and happy birthday, Gokudera. R". And so, everything clicked into place. _Reborn-san, thank you so much! I'm eternally grateful to you! But wait a minute, what did he mean by good luck? _Bianchi's words replayed in his head and Gokudera gasped. The two _had _to be scheming together! Why are they so dead-set on him confessing?! Now that he thought of it, the arrangement at the moment looked very much like a date with the tenth. At the idea, the silveret's face reddened in record time.

"Umm...Gokudera-kun, you've been staring at the paper for a while. And your face is very red, is something wrong?" Tsuna asked, getting worried.

"Huh? N-no, I'm fine."

"...If you say so, what did Reborn say? Ah! It's just out of curiosity, you don't have to answer if it's too personal."

"Err, Reborn-san just wished me happy birthday on his and aneki's behalf, that's all." Again, not a lie, he didn't like lying to the tenth.

"Oh, I see," that made sense, so Tsuna ended the subject. "Anyway, what should we do first?"

"It's up to you, Juudaime."

"Eh? No way, it's your birthday, we have to do what you like, not mine."

"But I'm happy with anything Juudaime chooses, really."

"Then I would like for you to choose, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna insisted and his right-hand man could only comply.

"O-okay," Gokudera answered, his mind skimming through all possible options of things the tenth would enjoy doing. As he was thinking, the storm guardian absentmindedly started crumbling the envelope that contained Reborn's letter. Gokudera suddenly felt that there was something else inside and took out a small laminated paper. "It's a group pass to the amusement park, must be a gift from Reborn-san." The ticket was actually meant specifically for two, but the other didn't need to know that.

"Oh, should we go?" Tsuna felt slightly uneasy after hearing Reborn's present. _That hypocrite, he gave me a speech on how presents can be in different forms and yet bought something for Gokudera-kun! _

"Yes, let's go, the place isn't too far away either."

*~5927~*~5927~*

The two arrived at the amusement park after a fifteen-minute walk and was met with an unbelievably long line of people waiting to get in. Before Tsuna could groan in disappointment, Gokudera told him to go straight to the front since their ticket was VIP. Sure enough, they entered the place via VIP entrance and was handed unlimited pass to all rides and other attractions, even the food stalls. Though, Tsuna suspected all of this had something to do with his connection to the Vongola, if sunglasses-wearing men in black suits as gatekeepers weren't an indication already.

Gokudera looked through the map and decided to go to the nearest attraction first, which happened to be the haunted house. Tsuna paled at the idea, but didn't voice any complaint. He had a feeling that by the end of the day. He'd probably lose his voice due to all the screaming he'll be doing.

When they got to the house, Tsuna gulped when he saw a couple walking out with the girl shaking and clinging to her boyfriend for dear life. Just hearing the eerie music and seeing the dimly lit rooms inside was enough to raise the hairs on his arms. And were those shadows passing by the windows?!

"Juudaime?" Gokudera called softly in a voice filled with concern. "You don't look so well, maybe we shouldn't go in."

Tsuna immediately shook his head rapidly. "N-no, I'm fine. Let's go." The shorter teen chuckled weakly before taking steps towards the house, there was no way he would let his wimpy nature spoil the day for both of them.

Gokudera still looked sceptical, but nonetheless followed after his boss. "Juudaime, don't push yourself too hard. And remember, nothing in there is real. I'm here as well, I would never let anything harm you."

The storm guardian's last words hung in the air and Tsuna blushed once more – he noted that this was occurring with increasing frequency, especially around Gokudera. "I know, thank you, Gokudera-kun."

Said teen gave him a wide grin before holding the door open for Tsuna to enter. As soon as they'd entered, the haunting began. When Gokudera let go of the door, it did a classic slamming shut. The silveret expected the predictable action and was unaffected. His companion, on the other hand, let out a high-pitched shriek and jumped. Tsuna took deep breaths for a few seconds and then reassured his right-hand man that he was okay so they could continue moving on.

When the two had entered another hallway, dripping sounds were heard and the ceiling seemed to have been painted with a red liquid. The coast was clear so they began walking through the designated path. Tsuna, being the unluckier of the pair, received his second fright as a severed arm fell from the ceiling and right into his hand. He froze from shock for a moment, feeling the quite realistic limb he was holding before his consciousness finally kicked in. A loud 'hiiiieee!' echoed through the hallway as the petite brunet threw the arm to the ground.

Looking at the prop, Gokudera had to admit that it was pretty well-made. The amusement park had definitely put in quite the effort for its haunted house. "Juudaime? Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on Tsuna's shoulder while he was still panting and recovering.

"Y-y-yeah, j-just give me a m-moment." The shorter boy answered, stuttering even more than usual. Eventually, he started walking again, stumbling a couple of times due to his shaky legs and ended holding onto Gokudera's arm for support.

A little over ten minutes plus plenty of scares later, Tsuna's legs finally decided to give up on him and he dropped to the ground. "Juudaime!" came Gokudera's instant reaction and the silveret knelt down next to the other.

"S-sorry, Gokudera-kun, but I don't think I can walk any time soon." Tsuna apologized, inwardly cursing his spinelessness.

"No need to apologise, Juudaime, I understand." the bomber smiled gently before turning his back to his boss. "Please hop on my back, I'll get us out of here, ok?"

Seeing no other choice, Tsuna mumbled another apology and wrapped his arms around Gokudera's neck. In response the latter hooked his arms underneath his boss's legs and hoisted them up to standing position. Not expecting the sudden movement, Tsuna let out a small yelp and then settled down. "Sorry for making you do this, Gokudera-kun, I must be really heavy."

"Please stop worrying about it, Juudaime. And you're a lot lighter than I expected." Gokudera replied and started moving at a slow and steady pace.

Predictably, his right-hand man's words left Tsuna flushing ten shades of red and heart erratically beating – though he wasn't sure if that was because of the depleting adrenalin or their closeness at the moment. The brunet rested his chin on Gokudera's shoulder, a smile on his face as he enjoyed the warmth that came from the other male. Tsuna honestly could not remember the last time he had a piggy-back ride like this, it was probably when he was with his father while he was just a little kid, and that wasn't a good memory either. On the way towards the exit, monsters, ghosts and dead bodies kept popping out at them, but Tsuna didn't even bat an eyelash or notice, he was too preoccupied with listening to Gokudera's steady breathing and warmth.

When they got to the exit, Tsuna managed to convince his storm guardian to let him walk out on his own. No matter how comfortable it might have been, being given a piggy-back ride by another male at his age out of the haunted house would be more than a little embarrassing if he was seen. Conveniently, there was a bench just a few steps away from the exit which became their destination after getting out of the house.

"Juudaime, wait here for a moment, I'll go buy us some drinks." Gokudera said and headed for the shop nearby after receiving a nod from his companion.

As he watched the silveret disappeared inside the shop, Tsuna sighed. Now that he was alone, he had some serious questions he needed to ask himself regarding his feelings for a certain Italian. The signs were becoming so obvious that even _he_ was starting to notice. All the blushing and heart racing from hearing Gokudera's passionate words, becoming more conscious of the other's presence, his looks, smiles, etc...The last time Tsuna felt this way was when he had a crush on Kyoko. _Does that mean I like...Gokudera-kun? _He waited for another part of his mind to second-guess, but all he got was silence.

_But that can't be right, we're just good friends. _And now, the Reborn-like voice replied: _Are you?_..._OK, I admit, I have feelings for Gokudera-kun! _Tsuna made a note that he should talking with himself soon or he'd classify as being crazy. Putting that aside, if he _did _like Gokudera, that would be bad. _Gokudera-kun only sees me as a friend and boss. That's right, he's only with me because he admires _the tenth. _If I wasn't Vongola Decimo, he probably wouldn't even spare me a second glance. Who would want to be near a clumsy, good-for-nothing like me? _A wave of sadness washed over and his heart gave a painful throb. Tsuna was reminded of his first meeting with Gokudera and the silveret's attitude towards him. Their relationship would probably stay that way if he wasn't the tenth Vongola boss and saved his life.

Too wrapped up in his thoughts, Tsuna didn't notice that Gokudera had returned and was calling him. The Italian frowned when he didn't get a reply and saw the saddened look on his face. "Juudaime?" he called once again and shook the brunet's shoulder gently with one hand. Gokudera breathed a sigh of relief when those warm honey-colored orbs refocused and turned his way. "Juudaime, is something wrong? You looked down earlier." He said and handed Tsuna one of the cans of soda he'd bought, receiving a 'thanks' in return.

"N-no, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something." Tsuna answered and began taking some sips of the drink.

"If anything's bothering you, feel free to tell me. I'm here to listen." Gokudera reassured with a grin and thumbs-up.

"I know, but it's nothing to worry about," he silently added that he'd tell Gokudera his feelings another time when he was ready. "By the way, thank you for carrying me earlier. I'm sorry I'm such a wimp. You can laugh if you want." Tsuna chuckled weakly at the end.

"I would never do that. And Juudaime, please stop apologising already," his right-hand man said seriously before looking away and laughing lightly. "But, your reaction in there was certainly...interesting."

The brunet sighed and pouted. "I knew it."

"Actually, I think it was kind of cute," Gokudera said and beamed brightly. That was, until he realized what he'd just said aloud, so did Tsuna. The two broke eye-contact and turned away with equal redness on their faces. "Umm...I didn't mean it in a bad way." The silveret muttered, not wanting the tenth to misunderstood and get offended.

"Y-yeah, I know. A-anyway, what should we do next?" Tsuna changed the subject, finishing the rest of the soda in one gulp – choking in the process – and stood up from his seat.

"Right, let's see," Gokudera started and opened the map once again. "The closest ride to here is...Juudaime, you're not going to like this." He looked to the left and Tsuna followed suit.

"Eh?" as if right on cue, screams were heard, accompanied by a rollercoaster ascending and them making a quick descend on its track. "R-rollercoaster?"

"We don't have to on if you don't want to, I'm not a fan of it anyway." Gokudera insisted, not liking how the color had drained from his boss's face.

Tsuna thought about it for a moment and eventually nodded, grateful for the other's consideration. "How about we just walk around for now and see if anything else of interest appears?"

"That sounds like a good plan, it is a nice day to walk around. Let's go, Juudaime."Gokudera agreed, putting the map back into his pocket and headed for the pathway on the right.

The two walked aimlessly through most of the park, chatting about one thing to another and occasionally commenting on the rides that they saw. The amusement park was quite big with a variety of thrill rides, family rides, ones for children, etc. On the way, Tsuna spotted the ride 'Octopus' and started snickering while Gokudera could do nothing more than cursing about turf tops. They finally decided to stop at the bumper cars where a mix of families, children and couples were playing.

"Don't worry, Juudaime. I'll kill anyone who dares to bump into you!" Gokudera promised and took out dynamites to prove his point as they got into a car each.

"Hiiiee! Stop, Gokudera-kun, that's sort of the point of the whole activity!" Tsuna sweat-dropped, trying to keep his guardian from blowing up the place.

"Then I'll make sure we're the last ones standing, you'll see!"

Ten minutes later, Gokudera had lived up to his words. Tsuna could only sigh and watch from a far end as the silveret showed his delinquent persona, bumping into one car after another, leaving behind crying children and frightened couples in his wake. _Gokudera-kun sure is energetic, at least he hasn't brought out any dynamites. _Looking at his right-hand man, Tsuna couldn't help but think back at the duty of the storm guardian: always at the center of the attack, the furious storm that never rests. At the moment, Gokudera was the living definition of that. After another five minutes or so, the session was over and everyone got out of the cars.

"Haha, you seemed to have had fun in there, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna commented as they met up at the gate.

"Che, what a weak bunch that was," the taller teen spat, sending glares to the irritated crowd nearby before turning back to his boss with a completely different attitude. "So, Juudaime, should we keep going?"

"Um, yeah, let's go."

With that, the pair departed in search of another attraction, which ended up being the house of mirrors. It was around lunch time so most of the people were in the food districts, leaving other places relatively empty. The two entered the house and made their way through the maze-like designs, trying to find the way out.

During the walk, Tsuna practically stopped at every mirror to laugh at their ridiculous and distorted reflections, he also bumped into the mirrors numerous times. After awhile, Gokudera joined in with his own chuckles. He couldn't help it, the brunet's laughter was just that contagious. It also left him feeling warm inside and was like music to his ears. No matter what, smiling will always be the best expression for the young Decimo. A thought came to mind and Gokudera realized that this was the first time he'd ever been alone with Tsuna in peace and having fun. _And it could be the last time, too. Maybe aneki and Reborn-san had a point. Plus, they've done so much for me, I can't just let them down. But..._One more look at Tsuna, who was still oblivious to his inner turmoils, Gokudera made his decision.

*~5927~*~5927~*

It took the pair a good forty minutes to make it to the other end of the house of mirror. Once outside, Tsuna was still half chuckling and half coughing from laughing too much.

"I'm glad to see you had fun, Juudaime," Gokudera said and smiled cheerfully. "Should we take a break and have lunch now?"

At the mention of food, Tsuna realized he hadn't actually eaten anything since breakfast and his stomach began growling loudly. "Haha, y-yeah, let's have lunch first." The brunet laughed awkwardly, face reddening from embarrassment.

Gokudera nodded in acknowledgement and led them towards the food court. A large clock nearby showed that it was already 2:20, and yet the place was still packed with dining visitors. It didn't even look like there was any spot left to sit in. "Juudaime, how about we buy the food and go somewhere else to eat? Maybe the Farris wheel, we'll get good view as well from there." Gokudera suggested.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!"

"Then you can stay here and wait, I'll go get the food," the silveret volunteered, not wanting his companion to have to fight through the crowd and lines of people at the shops as well. "What would you like?"

"Anything is fine, you can pick."

This time, Gokudera didn't bother to argue back, knowing he'd lose in the end anyway. "I'll be right back." Looking around, the Italian chose the shop with the least number of people and joined to waiting queue. Once it was his turn, he ordered two large hamburgers and milkshakes, one strawberry and one chocolate, silently hoping that the tenth wouldn't mind the choice.

From afar, Tsuna watched as Gokudera ordered something and stood there to wait for the food. He noted that some groups of girls around the shop were eyeing the silveret, then whispering and giggling to each other. Even the shop assistant – who was probably only a couple of years older than them – that served Gokudera was trying to flirt with him. _Gokudera-kun really is popular with the girls._ Tsuna felt a little irritated as the green monster known as jealousy starting gnawing his insides. Fortunately, the storm guardian didn't even pay any mind to the girl's eyelash-batting or hair flipping.

"Sorry for the wait, Juudaime. Let's go to the Farris wheel." Gokudera said as he returned right after receiving the food, much to the disappointment of the girls.

"Gokudera-kun, you sure are popular with the female audience." Tsuna had no idea why he said that, it just slipped out.

"Hmm? Oh, _them. _Che, they're just an annoying bunch, nothing to worry about," the bomber paused for a moment, seemingly hesitating about something, but soon continued speaking. "Juudaime, after we eat, there's something I would like to talk about, is that okay?"

"O-of course." Tsuna was surprised by the seriousness in the other's voice, he could only hope it wasn't something bad.

The two arrived at the Ferris wheel just in time to get into the last available passenger car before the wheel began rotating. Tsuna and Gokudera sat together on one side of the carriage and started eating their meal. The brunet smiled as he looked out the window, enjoying the scenery and delicious food – which happened to be his favourite, even the milkshake was the right flavour. They ate in silence, since Gokudera's mind was actually racing through the methods of how to approach the incoming conversation. It wasn't helping that all of the outcomes he was imagining were all bad. _What the hell am I going to do?! How should I start? Maybe with thanking him for today? Yeah, that sounds good. _ Minutes later, lunch came to an end and it was time.

"J-Juudaime?" Gokudera started, cursing himself for not being able to keep the nervousness from his voice.

"Yes? You wanted to talk, right?"

The silveret nodded. "There're a few things, actually. First of all, thank you for today. It's honestly the best birthday I've ever had."

"Y-you're exaggerating, Gokudera-kun. Surely you've had better ones with your family."

"No, I'm serious. Plus, this is the first time I've celebrated my birthday in a while."

"Eh, why is that?"

How did they get into this topic instead anyway? _Oh well, Juudaime deserves to know. _"Because...it's also...my mother's death anniversary."

The look on Tsuna's face could be summed up in two words: utter shock. He remembered Reborn telling him Gokudera's mother died when he was young, but he'd never expected her death to be on his _birthday_! After the initial shock had passed, the guilt came. "O-oh, God, Gokudera-kun, I'm so sorry! I didn't know. You should be in Italy right now, I-I kept you here, didn't I?"

"No, Juudaime, I chose to stay here before you even invited me. I couldn't just leave you alone without any protection." That had the opposite effect on Tsuna, increasing his guilt even further.

"So it _is_ my fault..." the brunet trailed off, feeling like banging his head against the wall at least a hundred times.

"No, it's not! Please don't blame yourself, Juudaime! B-besides, it's not like I've completely neglected my mother. I put flowers, incense and everything on the altar this morning and aneki is in Italy in my stead."

_So that's why Bianchi went to Italy. _Tsuna didn't know what to say so he let Gokudera continued.

"The reason why I chose to stay was because I now have someone I must move on for and protect and...I don't want to return to that scene again. Every year, I've stood in front of her grave alone, spent the day mourning alone and eventually forgot that my birthday was on the very same day. But now, it's different, I have a Family and...you," Gokudera paused, moving closer and used one hand to brush some loose strands of brown hair back for Tsuna. "That's why, you don't know how thankful I am for today. I can't remember the last time I could actually laugh and smile on a September 9."

"G-Gokudera-kun..." Tsuna started before rushing forward and wrapping his arms around the other's neck, bringing him into an embrace just as tears fell from his tawny eyes.

Gokudera was momentarily shocked by the brunet's action, and even more so when he felt tears wetting his shirt. He smiled sadly and gingerly placed a comforting hand on Tsuna's back. "You don't have to cry for me, Juudaime."

The young boss sobbed a couple more times, then looked up at his right-hand man with eyes still glossed over from tears. "You should've t-told me earlier. I-if I had known, I would've done something different."

"No, I wouldn't want change anything about today, Juudaime."

"Really?"

"Really, I regret nothing."

Tsuna finally stopped crying, wiped his eyes and moved back. "...Fine, but next year, we have to do something for your mother as well."

"Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way," with that sorted out, it was as if a huge burden had been lifted off Gokudera's shoulders. "Juudaime, there's still another thing I need to tell you."

"W-what is it?" Tsuna asked cluelessly, waiting for the silveret to continue.

Gokudera bit his bottom lip, still unsure of how to say it. Then, he decided to follow the motto: actions speak louder than words. With some hesitation, he reached out with one hand to hold onto his boss's chin, tilting his head upwards before leaning down and sealing their lips together gently.

Tsuna gasped and was frozen from shock. He'd been expecting a lot of things, but Gokudera kissing him was definitely one of the last on the list. When the gears in his head finally resumed working, Tsuna let his eyes closed and began responding. The kiss remained soft and gentle, yet clumsy at the same time since neither really knew what to do. The two continued for another minute or so, before Gokudera finally broke contact and moved back just enough to meet the honey-colored eyes. He smiled and ran a hand tenderly over one flushed cheek, then whispered, "I love you, Juudaime."

He should've known from the kiss and touches, but hearing the words from Gokudera still shocked him. It was hard enough trying to think over his racing heart and burning face, now their closeness, the silveret's breaths blowing over his face and his touches only assisted in turning Tsuna's brain into mush. He ended up only stuttering a one-worded answer, "H-how?"

"Huh?" Gokudera blinked, that question was not the one he was expecting.

"How c-can you be i-in love with someone like...me? I'm stupid, clumsy, a wimp and just...Dame-Tsuna."

He waited for his storm guardian to answer, but the taller teen just kept staring at him with a same astonished expression. "J-Juudaime, you really don't know how amazing you are?!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Nobody is perfect, Juudaime. Sure you have a bad side, but that's only one part of the bigger picture. You're also kind, caring, dedicated, strong...cute and so much more. Not to mention you wouldn't hesitate in saving anyone, even your enemies, just like you did when we first met. From that moment, you became everything to me and...I probably fell for you then, Juudaime." Gokudera looked away, face bright red after the long speech.

To say Tsuna felt happy was an understatement, that was the first time anyone had said so many nice things about him at once. But, the fact that Gokudera was still addressing him as 'Juudaime' during the entire speech didn't get pass him. "G-Gokudera-kun, I think...you're just mistaking admiration for love."

"Juudaime, what do you mean?"

"See? There it is again, all you see me as is 'Juudaime'. You're only with me because you admire me as boss and subordinate. If I wasn't related to the Vongola, you wouldn't be here at all and would probably just be another one of my bullies at school, right?"

Gokudera couldn't deny that Tsuna had a point, but that didn't mean he was completely right either. He sighed, there sure was a lot of things he needed to clarify. "I-it's true that I only admired you as a boss at first, but then I got to know the real you, not just the things I've read on a piece of paper handed to me. And after all we've been through together, do you really think my feelings wouldn't change? As for me calling you 'Juudaime', well, it has always been that way so I'm sort of used to it. Also, I still have my respect for you as Vongola Decimo, so..." Gokudera stopped, chuckling a bit and smiled sheepishly. "I guess I just can't help it, Juudaime."

"Um...so, just to be sure, you're in love with me as Tsuna, not as your boss, right?"

Gokudera slowly nodded an affirmative.

"Then...prove it."

"Huh?"

"If what you said was true, then you must also see me as an equal, 'respect for Vongola Decimo' be damned."

"So, what exactly am I supposed to do?"

There was now a hint of mischief in Tsuna's large, innocent eyes. "You have to start calling me by my name from now on." The look on Gokudera's face almost made him laugh aloud. It wasn't like he didn't believe the silveret, Tsuna just thought this was a good chance to get rid of his habit of calling him 'Juudaime'.

"B-b-but, I-I..."

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna called, then tilted his head to the side, making the best pleading expression he could. "Please?"

If his face was any redder, Gokudera would probably have had a massive nosebleed and pass out from blood loss. "OK, I'll try...T-T-Tsu...na." The last two syllables came out as no more than a whisper, and that was Gokudera trying his best already.

Tsuna snickered before laughing aloud. "I guess we have to work on that. It's fine, there's plenty of time left. Oh and I forgot to say," this time, the brunet took the initiative to lean closer. "I love you, too, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna shut his eyes once more, briefly seeing Gokudera's widened emerald orbs, and let their lips touched.

A few seconds later, Gokudera recovered. One of his hands held onto the back of Tsuna's neck, enjoying the feel of those soft chocolate-colored strands as he deepened the kiss with renewed enthusiasm and passion. Neither of them noticed that the Ferris wheel had stopped and they were at ground-level again. It wasn't until the supervisor standing outside coughed awkwardly that they broke apart and got out of the car with the speed that would put Namimori's best sprinters to shame.

"Juu, I mean, Ts-Tsuna, does this mean we're...together?" Gokudera finally asked once they'd stopped at a bench nearby.

"O-only if you want to be."

"I would love to!"

"Me, too. Oh and...Should I call you 'Hayato' from now on?"

Hearing Tsuna say his first name, Gokudera looked just about ready to faint. "...If you don't mind."

The brunet smiled brightly and nodded. "Hayato it is," looking at the clock tower on the side, Tsuna saw that it was now 3:10. The party would start at 6, there was still hours until then. "I think around 5 would be a good time to leave, what should we do now?"

Gokudera scanned around, and spotted a cinema close by. _Why does an amusement park even have a cinema? _(**A/N: 'Cause I said so) **"How about a movie? We've pretty much seen all the attractions and rides around the place. And yes, I know I'll be choosing what we watch."

Tsuna smiled again, glad that the other was finally catching on. "Great, let's go!" In the midst of his excitement, the brunet took hold of Gokudera's hand and pulled him into a fast walk to their destination, not that either of them minded the contact. They ended up watching some science-fiction movie about defending the Earth against aliens – obviously chosen by Gokudera – without paying much attention to it and more on each other. Tsuna leaned against his storm guardian's shoulder while their hand remained connected throughout the showing.

*~5927~*~5927~*

The movie, as planned, took a good two hours and it was now time to head back. Tsuna was getting excited about what was to come later on, hoping that Gokudera would like the idea while the latter was still oblivious to the entire ordeal. On the way to the exit, the two spotted a photo booth and Tsuna was dragged inside by the silveret. They took plenty of photos together, all with bright smiles on their faces. There was even one where Gokudera had kissed him on the cheek, much to Tsuna's embarrassment. All of the photos came out with two copies, obviously for them to keep one of each.

"I'll be sure to treasure these forever!" Gokudera promised, carefully putting the photos into his wallet while humming happily.

"I know you will. Now, it's getting late, we should head back. Will you walk with me home like usual, Hayato?"

The Italian blushed, still not used to being called by his first name, but answered nonetheless. "Of course!"

And so, the couple exited the amusement park and headed for Tsuna's house on the same path as in the morning. During the trip, they chatted about how the day had been, Tsuna made sure he was careful with what he was saying. It wouldn't be good to accidentally ruin the surprise at the last minute.

"Well, here we are," Gokudera said as they stood at the door of the Sawada household. "Thank you again for the day, Tsuna."

"Um, wait, Hayato, why don't you come in for a bit? I need help with some of the math homework." Yes, that wasn't a very good lie, let just hoped the other bought it.

"Sure, I'll love to help," Gokudera grinned wholeheartedly walked through the door that Tsuna had unlocked. Walking inside, the silveret looked around in confusion. The entire house was dark with not a single sound, the polar opposite of the usual setting. "Where are Mama and the brats?"

Tsuna didn't answer, instead shoved the taller teen with all the strength he could muster into the living room. As soon as Gokudera had stepped in, the lights were turned on, momentarily blinding him. 'Pop's were heard and confetti rained down, accompanied by a shout of 'surprise!' from Tsuna and many others. Once his eyes had adjusted to the bright lights, Gokudera blinked in confusion at the sight before him. In the room were all the people who were supposed to come to the amusement park with them, with the exception of Bianchi, and also Nana.

"Happy birthday, Gokudera!" Everyone shouted (obviously except Hibari), some adding different suffixes to his name or using different alias. After that, Hibari left by the window, saying he'd stayed long enough.

"W-what's going on?!"

"It's a surprise party for you, of course." Tsuna answered.

"J-Juudaime, you planned all of this?"

"Well, sort of, everyone did help out," the brunet pouted as Gokudera reverted back to calling him the tenth, but then gasped when he saw that the latter's eyes were red from holding back tears. "H-Hayato, are you crying?!"

"Ahahaha, Gokudera's crying tears of joy!" Yamamoto laughed, coming closer to swing an arm around the silveret's shoulders.

"I am not! Something got in my eye! And don't touch me, baseball freak!"

"Aw, come on, no need to be shy, we understand. By the way, Tsuna, did you just call Gokudera by his first name?"

"Eh?" Tsuna blushed, the name did just slipped out. "Y-yeah..."

"Kid, looks like plan was a success!" Yamamoto called out to Reborn with a thumbs-up, the baby smirked in return.

"Extreme!" Ryohei shouted.

"Congratulations, Tsuna-kun, Gokudera-kun!" Kyoko added, genuinely happy for the two.

"Hahi! Haru wasn't ready for this!" Haru exclaimed with a pout. "Gokudera-san, Haru won't forgive you if you hurt Tsuna-san!"

Tsuna and Gokudera just stood still in their spots, gaping dumbly. "W-wait, _everyone _was in on this?!" the young Decimo asked, not believing what he was hearing. "Reborn, you're the mastermind, aren't you?!"

"Who else could it be, no need to thank me, Dame-Tsuna."

"I wasn't going to!"

"Maa, maa, calm down, Tsuna. All that matters is you guys are happy now, right? And let's start the party, the foods are getting cold." Yamamoto cut in, ushering the two main guests to the center of the room.

Tsuna sighed, what's done is done. It wasn't like he could – or want to - change anything now. Gokudera wasn't taking it lightly either, but had no choice but to go with the flow and sat down at the dining table. _I can't believe I was that obvious, even the _turf top _knew! _

"Hayato, say something first." Tsuna suggested, bringing the silveret's attention to him.

"Um...t-thanks for doing all of this...for me." Gokudera mumbled quickly, but everyone still heard him.

"Ahaha, no problem, Gokudera. Now everyone, dig in!" Yamamoto concluded and everyone cheered.

"I wasn't talking to you, baseball idiot!"

The party went on until around 10 that night. They would've stayed longer, but the children had already fallen asleep and Nana reminded them that they still had school the next day. Haru insisted on Gokudera opening his presents first before they've gone home. She, Kyoko and Haru had made the birthday cake together – which turned out to be very nice. Yamamoto's gift was a baseball glove, saying it's so they could play catch together, though Gokudera's response was 'never going to happen'. Ryohei and Lambo chose to give the silveret a gigantic octopus plushie. Ryohei suggested using it as a punching bag, but Gokudera swore he would give it to Uri to be a chew toy. There were some other gifts, but those were the notable ones.

After that, everybody left. Gokudera was about to do the same, but not before saying goodbye to the tenth first. Reborn told him that brunet was in his room, so he went upstairs to seek him out.

"Juudaime?" he called as he opened the door.

"What happened to calling me by my name?" Tsuna asked with a sigh from his spot at the balcony.

"Err, I still feel disrespectful to do that in front of others. So how about only whenever we're alone?"

Tsuna considered the offer, it was better that than nothing. "Fine, for now."

Gokudera smiled and joined the brunet, leaning his back against the railings.

"Hayato, I'm sorry I didn't get anything for your birthday."

The Italian teen turned to look at him in surprise. "You've already given me more than I've ever dreamt of today."

"H-how?"

"I told you, this has been the best birthday I've ever had and I'll never forget it. Not to mention, I'm able to be with you like this."

_Oh, this must be what Reborn meant._ "But," Tsuna was pulled away from his thoughts when the other began speaking again. "I wouldn't mind getting one more present for the night." With that said, Gokudera in to steal another kiss. It was a chaste one, but nevertheless still passionate.

"Ah, Hayato, I've been looking for you." A female voice cut in from the entrance.

Gokudera turned to the voice, half happy to see the owner and half annoyed because of the interruption. "Aneki, you're bac-Argh!" Before he could finish the greeting, Gokudera fell to the ground holding his stomach from seeing his half sister's unhidden face.

"Don't sleep on the ground, it's a bad habit. Oh and happy birthday, here's your present, made with love," Bianchi knelt down next to the silveret and placed _another _birthday cake made using poison cooking beside him before standing up. "Goodnight, and take care of him, Tsuna." She exited the room with a wave to the two while Gokudera continued to moan in pain.

"Hiiieee! Hayato, hang in there!"

*~5927~*~5927~*

**Ten years later**

The twenty-four-year-old Vongola Decimo walked through one of the headquarters' long corridors, heading for a room that he knew all too well. Tsuna hummed happily as he opened the room's door with one hand, the other holding a bouquet of roses. Inside the room, behind a desk full of neat stacks of documents, was his right-hand man and lover. From the corner of his eye, Tsuna saw various photos of the Famiglia and the two of them hanging on the wall, a calendar with 9th of September circled in red and smiled as he made his way to Gokudera.

"Hayato," he called out and the storm guardian looked up with a warm smile. Tsuna stood beside Gokudera and placed the bouquet onto the desk before leaning down for a kiss. "Happy birthday, and...our tenth anniversary together."

In another part of the same city, in a cemetery, another bouquet of white longiflorum lilies lied in front of Lavina's grave.

_~Fin~_

**A/N: Whew, that was a long oneshot, I can't believe I wrote something that long in 2 days. Once more, Happy Birthday Gokudera! ^^ Oh and, if anyone's interested, there are links to KHR AMV's that I've made in my profile. There are a couple of 5927 ones so check it out is you like. **

**Ciao Ciao! Reviews = Love :)**


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